SAO: Castle of Fallen Angels
by ShadowFuh
Summary: On her first day of experiencing a VRMMORPG, Tachibana Ayumi finds out that Sword Art Online isn't your normal game. Now trapped in this game with 10,000 players all over Japan, she struggles to survive. With the help of her friends, Ayumi sets a name for herself under the tutelage of the MMO world's top players, her story in a new world begins in Sword Art Online.


**Author's Note - So, I wanted to write an SAO story about someone other than Kirito. I added a lot of OCs and included a lot of ideas from various other series. It'll take place within the two years of SAO and my characters will occasionally run into SAO characters, but it won't heavily focus on the original story. Also, I'm making up a lot of Aincrad in my head so if you guys feel like correcting me, please do. Anyways, I hope you guys like this little concoction and I'll see you soon. **

**1**

"Ayumi-Chan! Watch out!"

Tachibana Ayumi was disturbed from her scenic view when a rock smashed into her face and dropped her to the ground. Her temple blazed with pain as she got up and glared at her two friends fighting a pig.

"What the hell! That really hurt!" cried Ayumi.

"S-Sorry…" Mimisaka Jun clapped her hands together and smiled.

"You gotta keep your head in the game Ayumi," sighed Kurikara Takeshi.

Ayumi sighed and stood up, running a hand through her long purple hair before looking out into the cliff side. They were on the outskirts of the Town of Beginnings, a sort of training area for new players. A grand landscape stretched out for miles with the sun shining bright in the sky. Ayumi was never one for games, but this view itself was worth the money she sunk into the NerveGear and copy of Sword Art Online.

"Can you get over here and help us?" sighed Takeshi. "It feels like Jun and I are the only ones actually doing the work now."

Ayumi frowned and joined her two friends. She reached behind her back and drew the small tanto sword strapped around her waist. The three of them were in a large meadow filled with small and low level monsters. However in the area they're at right now, it's mostly just demonic looking pigs.

She got in a lowered stance and activated her Sword Skill. With a single leap, Ayumi slashed at the pig only once in order to defeat it. The pig fell backwards and exploded in a mix of particles. As Ayumi sheathed her blade, she got a notice that she gained 10 EXP.

"That was amazing Ayumi-Chan!" exclaimed Jun as she ran over to Ayumi. "I didn't think you'd be so good at SAO. Are you sure you've never played an MMO before?"

"You know I'm not much for playing video games," said Ayumi.

Takeshi frowned and crossed his arms. "You know a part of me is really jealous that I got be a beta tester but you're already decent at this game."

"It's only the first day Takeshi, and stop bragging about you being a beta tester," said Ayumi.

Takeshi was a pretty good looking boy if Ayumi had to admit. His avatar was tall, almost matching his height, with short but spiky blue hair and matching aqua eyes. He wore a simple white long sleeved shirt with a leather chest plate and brown pants. He also carried a long katana by his side. He didn't scream gamer, but she's known him throughout middle school and he is definitely a gamer. He would even cancel plans just to play some new MMO or go raiding with his guild.

Jun on the other hand was the complete opposite. Her avatar was much smaller in height with short wavy blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a red dress with a brown chest plate and carried a small knife by her thigh. She was much more of a free spirit, doing whatever she thought was fun. Ayumi never thought she'd ever play a video game, or even take it seriously.

"Still though," said Takeshi. "Are you really sure this is your first time playing a VRMMO? Your movements are pretty fluid, you're not keeping your nerdy side from me are you?"

"As if," said Ayumi as she crossed her arms. "I mean I've played party games whenever you two want to, but it's not like I've ever wanted to take any of this seriously." She looked at her hands. "I just wanted to see what virtual reality would be like."

That being said, she never thought it'd be so…real. None of this felt like a game at all. It felt like she was really standing here, on the first floor of Castle Aincrad. Speaking of which, she couldn't believe they were really standing inside a castle. This entire plain stretched so far it was hard to believe that all of this was enclosed in a giant castle 100 floors tall.

This attention to detail was spectacular as well. The leaves falling from the trees, the swaying of the grass, even the rays of the sun shining down on them. It was hard to distinguish reality and the virtual now.

But the thought of that line being so blurred also brought on an incredibly terrifying thought. Ayumi shivered when she thought about what it would be like to die in a game. Would it be as painful as in real life? Were the pain receptors in this game the same as her real body?

"Are you okay Ayumi-Chan?" asked Jun. "You seem pretty down."

"N-No it's nothing," said Ayumi. "Are we going to move to the next floors or are we just going to stay on the first floor?"

"We can't yet," said Takeshi. "It's the first day the servers have been online to the public. No one's cleared the first floor boss yet so no one has access to the next floors."

"Is that how it works?" sighed Ayumi. "I was hoping that the other floors would have some nice sights like this." She walked back to the cliff side and stared out into the distance. "If only I had my camera…"

Takeshi walked up to join her. "How long are you guys gonna stay logged in?"

"Well I don't really have any plans tonight," said Jun. "How about you Ayumi-Chan?"

"Same for me," said Ayumi. "And you Takeshi?"

"I'm supposed to meet up with my guild in another game," said Takeshi. "Apparently the top guild's gone A-wall so we have a shot at being the top ranked guild."

"What do you mean…went A-wall?" asked Ayumi. "Did they all just not play on the same day?"

Takeshi shook his head. "More like disbanded. They're not only the number one guild in that game, a bunch of other MMO's too. A group of 7 players forming a guild that stand at the top of every MMO they've ever played together. And they suddenly disbanded…on the day that the SAO servers went live."

"You don't think they dropped it to come to SAO did you?" asked Ayumi.

Takeshi shrugged. "No clue, but it's a golden opportunity for us." A massive grin broke out on Takeshi's face.

Jun smirked. "Are you sure you want the sloppy seconds Takeshi? Some people might think you're only the number 2 guild that only became number 1 because of a fluke."

"Oh can it you pipsqueak!" growled Takeshi as he pinched and squeezed Jun's cheeks.

Ayumi sighed. "Hey, can you eat in this game? I'm kind of hungry."

"Well yeah," said Takeshi with Jun's fingers opening his mouth. "Come to think of it I'm pretty hungry too."

"Let's go back to town!" cried Jun.

The three of them walked back into the Town of Beginnings, as Takeshi told them about this number one guild. Apparently over 50 MMORPG's in the market, one single guild stands at the top of every single ranking. Even to someone like Ayumi, that was incredible. Everyone knows that they're the same people because they always use the same names in each game. If they've really come to SAO, maybe this game will be cleared in no time.

The Town of Beginnings was a pretty large town on the first floor, acting as a gathering place for all new players who first start the game. Because of that, this entire town was littered with players left and right.

The town itself was made of rather large buildings with a lot of smaller ones connected to it's sides. There were tons of stalls and restaurants with some rather delicious looking food. However there was something that suddenly set off an alarm in her head. There were a bunch of…hotels? Why would there be hotels in a game like this? Was it used as a save point? Do their avatars sleep in there whenever they log out?

"Over here!" cried Jun as she rushed towards a sandwich stall. She ran back to them carrying sandwiches she had just bought. "Those NPCs are so lifelike. I keep forgetting that they're not real players."

"There's a notice on the top of their heads Jun," said Takeshi. "It literally says NPC."

"I don't judge people based on appearances Takeshi," said Jun.

The three of them enjoyed their sandwiches while talking about what Takeshi's plan was for taking the spot as the number one guild. Turns out all 7 of the top players had vanished, but they had all guessed that they'd be in SAO by now.

Aside from the gaming talk, Ayumi was taken away by how delicious this food was. Her virtual taste buds were set on fire by the sheer flavors of this simple sandwich. She'd never had anything this good before in her life.

"Impressed?" asked Takeshi with a smug grin. "The NerveGear's virtually stimulated all of your senses, including taste. It's as if you're actually tasting it in the real world."

"That's still freaking me out a bit," said Ayumi. "It feels…too real in here."

"It's just a game Ayumi-Chan," said Jun as she gorged into her sandwich. "Don't question it too much or you won't have any fun."

Fun huh? Ayumi wondered when the last time she'd taken time to enjoy herself. Ever since the accident, everything's felt like it's been stuck for her. Nothing's moving forward for her, as if she's stuck in her own world and can't move on. At least Takeshi and Jun were there for her. If it weren't for them, she really didn't know what would have happened.

"Hey, look over there," said Jun as she pointed to the entrance of town.

There was a large crowd gathering at the entrance, attracting more and more players.

"Let's check it out?" asked Takeshi.

"Might as well," said Ayumi as the three ventured down the street to check out the commotion.

It was a struggle to squeeze through the front, however the three of them eventually managed to navigate through the hordes of players and make it to the front. Ayumi was met with…a fight? Not really a fight, more like an argument.

There was a party of three players picking on a group of seven. The leader of the party of three was a scruffy looking guy who was fairly short in contrast to the other 7. Despite his height and outdated spiky brown hair, he grabbed one of the players in the other party by the collar and scowled.

"What do you mean the first floor's been cleared?" asked the shorter one. "It's only the first day, and you're telling you guys cleared out everything but the boss?"

Ayumi got a better look at the seven players. They definitely didn't seem like the type of people new players should be messing with. They all had matching white robes that ran down the length of their bodies, however each of their avatars were different. The one that was being grabbed by the collar had long flowing red hair and piercing red eyes. He was as tall as the brown haired guy, if anything he was the smallest of the seven, however Ayumi could tell he wasn't anyone to mess with.

An arm grabbed at the brown haired guy's, forcing him to release his grip. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

It was a girl. She was taller than the red haired boy however had dark green hair that ran to her shoulders and bright emerald eyes. She even wore a pair of black rimmed glasses that framed her face pretty well.

"What are you? His girlfriend?" growled the brown haired boy.

The red haired boy wiped his collar, completely unfazed, and looked back. "Kibao? Was it? I apologize if I said anything disrespectful. However my friends and I aren't exactly the type to lounge around in a game. We've cleared this floor of any high level monsters and left you all with the low level ones. Consider it a gift."

"A gift?" growled Kibao. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Kibao was about to make another move, however before his hand could make contact with the boy again, the red haired boy placed a hand on Kibao's shoulder and simply pressed him down on his knees. It didn't even look like he was using any force at all, a simple tap of his fingers made a person fall to their knees.

"I do not appreciate this kind of attitude from someone who's beneath me," said the boy, his eyes wide with anger. "I will not forgive such impudence from a boy who hasn't even reached the same level as myself or my party. The next time you feel like voicing your opinion in public, be mindful of those who are your superiors, boy."

Ayumi watched as Kibao was shaken to his core. She saw him twitch and shiver in fear at the sound of those words. The boy hadn't pulled out his sword or initiated a PvP challenge, and yet Kibao could hardly move a muscle. Just who the hell was that guy?

From behind the pack of seven, another boy walked forward and crouched down, patting Kibao on the back.

"Sorry about that man," said the boy, this one with short blonde hair and matching eyes. "We got here kind of early and were bored so we thought we'd have some fun. Didn't mean to take all the fun away from you guys. I'm sure everything will respawn soon."

"Either way though," said the girl with green hair as she straightened her glasses. "We cleared this floor a lot faster than I thought we would. I at least wanted to have a challenge."

"It's only the first floor you know," said another boy, this one with with long dark blue hair and matching eyes. "I don't know what you were expecting Mori."

"How many times must I tell you to call me by my avatar name," growled the girl with green hair.

"Right, right, my bad Zangetsu," sighed the blue haired boy.

"Can we have one raid without you guys fighting between yourselves?" asked the blonde haired boy with a nervous smile.

"Like you can talk Baron," sighed a girl with long black hair that resembled purple in the sunlight.

"Why are you always so mean to me Touka-Chan!" cried Baron.

"It's Idunn you numbskull!" Touka punched Baron in the head.

"Oh great, here we go," sighed the boy with blue hair.

Ayumi was bewildered to say at the least. How can they have such a casual chat when one of their party members just completely overwhelmed a random player with sheer force.

"H-Hey Takeshi, who are…" Ayumi lost her train of thought when she saw that Takeshi was completely speechless and his jaw practically dropping.

"S-So…they're really in SAO after all," a smile seemed to manifest on his face, though from excitement or fear, Ayumi couldn't really tell.

"What are you talking about Takeshi?" asked Jun.

"Mars, Zangetsu, Kamuro, Baron, Ryuugen, Idunn, and Gaim," said Takeshi. "The seven top players in almost every MMO…the members of Helheim."

Before Ayumi could process what he just said, the players around her were beginning to panic. When she looked around her, she saw that players were vanishing left and right.

"What the hell?" asked Ayumi.

"A forced teleport?" asked Takeshi. "But who's-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as Takeshi vanished himself. Her mind didn't have enough time to process what was happening. A forced teleport? But who has the authority to teleport players without their permission? The Game Master maybe?

"A-Ayumi-Chan?" asked Jun as she clung to Ayumi's arm. "What's happening?"

"I don't know…" Ayumi looked back to the seven members of Helheim. "Hey! Do you guys know what's going on?"

The boy with red hair looked to her. "I'm afraid I don't. But I have a feeling this should be a little entertaining."

"You'd better hang on miss," said Baron. "You might get teleported too."

As if on queue, Ayumi felt her body go lifeless as a white light enveloped her. In a split second, she went from the middle of town into a large and packed arena where there were hundreds…maybe thousands packed together.

Ayumi's knees almost buckled, but she found her footing. The screams and murmurs inside the arena were devastating, she could hardly hear her own thoughts in here.

"A-Ayumi-Chan…" said Jun. "What's happening? I'm scared…"

Ayumi ran to her, pushing and shoving past every player in her way, and hugged Jun tight. "It's okay, I'm right here with you."

As the seconds passed, more and more people were being teleported to the arena. The seconds turned to minutes, and Ayumi still felt a great sense of fear running through her.

"S-Should we log out?" asked Jun. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Yeah, let's get out here," said Ayumi.

She swiped down on her right hand as the main menu opened up. Ayumi clicked on the bottom button…and she felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"What the hell is going on?" Ayumi repeatedly clicked on the empty log out button, but nothing was happening. "Why can't we log out!"

"Ayumi-Chan…"

Ayumi gritted her teeth. "It's okay Jun, I'm right here with you."

"Hey there," said an unfamiliar voice. "Can you guys not log out either?"

Ayumi looked to her side to see a tall boy with long white hair and blue eyes walk towards her. He wore a long white robe that reached down to his ankles and didn't carry a visible sword. He was…cute. Not handsome or outrageously hot, but his soft features and delicate blue eyes made him look like an adorable lost puppy.

"Do you know what the hell's going on here?" asked Ayumi. "Why are we here? Why can't we log out?"

"What's happening…" asked Jun.

"I don't know," said the boy as he calmly opened his menu. "It seems the log out button's been removed. It could be a bug…but…"

"What the hell is that?" asked Ayumi as she pointed up at the sky.

In the sky, right smack in the middle, was a red "danger zone" tab that suddenly expanded and took over the entire skies of the arena.

"Okay…now I'm starting to get scared," said Ayumi as she hugged Jun tighter.

The sky began to…bleed, as blood secreted from the various tabs and all convulsed and morphed into a large ball. The ball expanded and grew until it popped, revealing a menacing and large figure in red that towered above everybody. It was a large figure cloaked in a red robe with a hood that covered it's face.

"Attention players," it said. "Welcome to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

"Kayaba?" asked the white haired boy. "The creator of SAO?"

"That's the guy who created SAO?" asked Ayumi.

"Why is he doing all of this?" asked Jun.

"I'm sure you've noticed," said Kayaba. "but the logout button is missing from the main menu. This is not a defect in the game. I repeat…this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves, and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear."

Ayumi could feel her heart beating out of her chest. "What's he saying…is he insane? We can't log out?"

"Why…Why is this happening?" asked Jun as she grabbed her head. "This is just a game…it was supposed to be just a game…"

Ayumi looked to the boy, but he was just contently staring up at Kayaba.

"Should this be attempted," said Kayaba. "The transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and ending your life."

"W…What…" asked Ayumi. "He's joking…right?"

"I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home now." said Jun as Ayumi could feel her shaking.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, 213 players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world."

Ayumi's breathing became erratic. She couldn't process any of this anymore. So they were stuck in here? And so many people have already died…

Kayab waved his hand as dozens of tabs began to open, with news footage covering the topic.

"As you can see," said Kayaba. "News organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus you can assume the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal."

Ayumi gritted her teeth. "Is this true? Is all of this really happening?"

"Remain calm," said the boy. "Let's hear this out until the end."

"I hope you will all relax and attempt to clear the game." said Kayaba. "But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will forever be lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Ayumi could hear her heartbeat clearly as ever before. Her hands began to feel clammy and her knees barely had any strength to stand. What was this…this dread? It had been so long that she had forgotten what it felt like. True and indisputable fear…

"There is only one means of escape," said Kayaba. "To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the final Floor Boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"So he expects us to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad huh?" asked the boy. "That might be a challenge."

"H-How can you be so calm?" asked Ayumi. "We're all basically dead in here…We're all…"

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself," said the boy with a reassuring smile. "If you give up hope now, then it really will be all lost."

"Finally," said Kayaba as he waved his hand. "I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

The boy didn't even hesitate to open his menu and check his storage. Ayumi looked to Jun. "We'd better check it."

Jun nodded before opening her menu. Ayumi clicked on the new item in her storage, and saw that it was a mirror.

"He gave us…a mirror?" asked Ayumi.

As Ayumi looked at herself in the mirror, she hated what she saw. This was supposed to be her? An avatar in a game, made of 1s and 0s. Long purple hair and dark eyes, perfect features. What a load of crap. If she was going to die in a game, she at least wanted to die as herself.

Suddenly, a white light enveloped her. Ayumi accidentally dropped the mirror as her eyes readjusted. Something felt…different.

"Ayumi-Chan…" said Jun.

Ayumi looked to her to see that Jun looked how she did in the real world. She was still small, however her short hair had grown much longer and flowing down her back, much like how she looked in the real world.

"You look like…you," said Jun.

"Me?" Ayumi quickly grabbed the mirror from the ground and saw that it was true. Her long purple hair had been cut short, just down to her shoulders. Her features and face looked exactly like her real world self. "What the hell is happening here…"

"Well this is certainly interesting," said the boy. Ayumi looked towards him to see that he had changed too. He wasn't as tall as he was before, but he still had his long white hair and blue eyes. His features were still the same, it was like nothing changed.

"This concludes the tutorial for Sword Art Online," said Kayaba. "I wish you all the best of luck, players."

As Kayaba's avatar blew up, the entire arena was left in silence, Ayumi included. What the hell just happened? They were stuck in here? And if they die in the game…they'll die in real life?

Suddenly, a player to Ayumi's side freaked out and began to scream. It started to spread like wildfire as the thousands of players grouped together began to rampage and evacuate the arena.

"Ayumi-Chan!" cried Jun.

"Dammit…" said Ayumi as she struggled to hold onto Jun.

"Hang on," said the boy as he wrapped his arms around them, and jumped up. In a split second, they'd travelled from the center of the arena to the alleyways outside the arena.

"We…got out?" asked Jun. "How?"

The boy stood up and looked around. "You should be okay out here."

"How did you do that?" asked Ayumi. "Who are you anyway?"

The boy opened his main menu and pressed a few buttons. Suddenly, Ayumi and Jun got a notification. "A friend request?"

"Accept it," said the boy. "I'll give you two some items to help you out."

"Why would you do that?" asked Ayumi. "You don't even know us?"

"I'm helping out new players," said the boy. "Normally I wouldn't, but this isn't just a game anymore."

Ayumi gulped and accepted the friend request. Suddenly, a name popped up on the boy's head.

"G…Gaim?" asked Jun.

"Here's some health potions and a few weapons," said Gaim as he initiated a trade. "You can also contact me anytime if you need help."

"Thank you…Gaim," said Jun as she accepted the trade request.

"Gaim…Gaim…" She'd heard that name before. Then it hit her. "You're a member of Helheim, that guild that Takeshi was talking about."

The boy smiled. "The name's Toshiro. I'll see you two later." And just like that, he vanished again.

Ayumi and Jun fumbled back down. "W…What the hell do we do now?"

"Where's Takeshi?" asked Jun. "We got separated from him."

"Let's get out of town," said Ayumi as she stood up. "We can send him a message to meet up with us."

Jun reluctantly took her hand, as the two ran off into town. This wasn't a game anymore. It wasn't just a game where they could do whatever they wanted and not have to deal with the consequences. It's a death game, where they can really die.

For some reason, as much as that thought terrified her, there was a part of Ayumi that found it almost…exciting. She wouldn't have to go back to the real world, to face the horrors that was her home. In here, maybe she could be someone else, something else.

A smile crept up on her as she ran off into town.


End file.
